Internal Grievance Procedure

If a student believes he or she has been discriminated against due to his/her disability he or she has the right to file a grievance. (See Rehabilitation Act, 1973, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990.

1. If complaint occurs within the academic area (e.g. student believes he or she has been denied accommodations; student believes he or she has been treated differently than other students due to disability), student should see the Coordinator of Disability Support Services for Students. The coordinator and the student will meet to discuss the complaint, and if necessary will meet with both parties to mediate.
2. If the mediation is unsuccessful, the student has the right to file a complaint with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion located in Fenton Hall, Room 143, telephone number 716-673-3358(V).
3. The student may elect to address the problem informally or to pursue a formal written charge. To pursue a formal written charge, a formal complaint should be submitted (using the “Non-Discrimination Form”) to the Chief Diversity Officer, who will then start a full investigation. Only those who need to know will be told about the complaint. There are many reasons to act as soon as possible. The sooner the student acts the more useful details he or she will remember. Most importantly, the sooner action is taken; the sooner actions to change a situation that could impact the student’s academic record can be changed. If there are witnesses to be contacted, they will be easier to find and will remember more right after an incident than several months later. There are also time limits for filing formal complaints. Students must file a complaint within 45 calendar days of the alleged discriminatory act or 45 calendar days after a final grade is received, if that date is later.
4. If safety is an issue, the Chief Diversity Officer will take immediate action. In all cases, the Director will act as quickly as possible to resolve the issue. However, an investigation could take time. In many cases, interim steps can be taken while the problem is being resolved.
5. Results of the investigation will be forwarded to all interested parties at the end of the investigation.
6. If the student is dissatisfied with the results, he or she has the right to file a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR). The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will provide information on state and federal guidelines as well as laws and names and addresses of enforcement agencies.
7. If the complaint is against the Coordinator of Disability Support Services for Students, the procedure is to contact the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.